Whatever It Is
by BluEyes
Summary: A different spin on TOW Chandler Can't Remember Which Sister in season 3. C/M!
1. Chapter 1

Whatever It Is

Chapter 1

_Here we go again!_

_Ok, this one starts in Season 3, during TOW Chandler Can't Remember Which Sister…I think the episode title pretty much explains which episode it is, ha. I don't think I've seen this story done before…It starts at Joey's party, so lines from there are not mine, I'm just using it to set up the rest of this chapter. Oh, and I used transcripts from friendscafe__, so I won't take credit for that. Oh, and the characters aren't mine, either. Ok…_

__._._._._._  
_

"Hey, Joey, where are the jello shots?" Monica asked.

"I don't know, Chandler is supposed to be passin' 'em around," Joey looked around the apartment, finally spotting Chandler, nearly-empty tray of shots in hand, attempting to share one with their ceramic dog. "Chandler!"

"Hello-dillio!" he greeted the rest of the group, making it obvious where the jello shots had gone.

"Oh, somebody's feeling better!" Ross quipped.

"Stick out your tongue," Monica practically ordered.

"Take off your shirt!" Chandler shot back, but gave in to her request seconds later, revealing a dark green tongue.

"Oh my!"

"Oh my god! How many of these did you have?" Joey asked. "These are pure vodka!"

"Yep! Jello just like Mom used to make!"

_._._._._._

Less than an hour later, after the arrival of Joey's seven sisters, Chandler had somehow managed to make out with nearly half of the room, causing the party to start dwindling down.

"Hey, Mon," he walked up behind Monica, who was sitting on a barstool, talking to Gunther, who moved away at Chandler's arrival. He felt no need to be the next victim of whatever game Chandler was playing, obviously seeing how many people's throats he could stick his tongue down for the night. "Get drunk with me! Everyone here is wa-ay too sober."

"Well, that's because _someone_ drank all of the shots," she smiled, patting his chest.

"Then, how 'bout we go 'cross the hall and get the rest from your refrigerator," he slurred the last few words as he grabbed her hand, attempting to pull her up, but stumbling backwards in his drunken state.

"No, I think you drank them all, Chandler," she kept hold of his hand, not letting him fall.

"Hey," he stood back up straight. "Don't fraternize me, Mon," he looked at her, as if replaying the words in his head.

"Don't patronize you?" she offered.

"Yea, don't patronize me, Mon," he repeated. "I heard Joey say there's more. C'mon," he pulled at her hand again.

"Fine, but they're not for you, they're for everyone else to catch up with you," she gave in, following him out the door.

Monica fumbled through her purse for her keys, and Chandler placed one hand on top of the doorframe, steadying himself, perhaps a bit too closely to Monica. "What are ya doin' there, drunky?" Monica turned to face him, realizing how close he was standing.

"Waiting for you to unlock a door that is never locked," he stated impatiently.

"I, um, have my keys," she held them up. "Just waiting for you to move so you don't fall in when I open the door," she smiled.

"You have a really pretty smile," he whispered, removing his hand from the door and placing it on her cheek.

"Chand-" Monica started, realizing where it was going. He had already attempted to make out with Rachel, Ross, and at least four out of seven of Joey's sisters. However, her realization came too late, as he cut her off, and she felt his lips against hers. For a few seconds, she kissed back; she hadn't been that fervently in a long time. But remembering that it was Chandler, that he was extremely drunk, and still hung up on Janice, Monica moved to push him away. "Chandler," she mumbled against his lips.

"Just a couple more seconds, Mon," he whispered back, but they both jumped apart when the door to Joey and Chandler's apartment opened.

"Better you than me," Gunther said to Monica, closing the door. "And better her than Rachel," he added, walking towards the stairs.

"Jello shots," Chandler took Monica's keys from her hands, attempting to unlock her door. When unsuccessful, Monica took the keys back. "There you go, fraternizing me again," he smiled, this time attempting a joke, and getting the look from Monica he often got after making a joke, which was what he had hoped for. It was her look for him and him alone.

"You, mister, are cut off," she shut the door behind them, walking over to the refrigerator. "These are for everyone else," she turned around, tray in hand, to find Chandler now slumped in the chair at the kitchen table closest to the refrigerator, his happy demeanor suddenly gone. "What's wrong?" she set the tray down.

"Nothing, it's just," he sighed, looking down. "You make me feel hopeless."

"What?" Monica folded her arms, not sure what his drunken mind had intended that to mean, but unhappy nonetheless.

"No-no-no," he jumped up next to her. "Not like that!" he sighed, leaning back against the table. "I mean, you're…amazing. You are gorgeous, and smart, and talented, and amazing, and…look at you right now. You don't have a boyfriend, your job sucks-"

"Good job digging that hole deeper, Bing!"

"I'm not done yet," he explained. "I mean, look at how great you are, and all that you don't have right now, and then," he exaggeratedly motioned to himself. "Look at me. If you don't get any of that, there is no way in hell I will! I am no where near as great as you are," he looked down, not at her.

"At least you have a 'grown up' job?" she offered.

"That I hate," he scoffed. "At least you get to wear big, fake boobies at your job?" he offered back, causing her to laugh and hit him playfully.

"You don't give yourself enough credit," Monica leaned on the table beside him. "However, in your attempt at flattery, you just depressed me," she grabbed two shots, handing him one, and taking one herself. "Here's to us!"

_._._._._._

"Monica? Chandler?"

Rachel's voice cut into Monica's sleep. She sat up slowly, placing a hand on her head, a hangover starting to set in already, but soon decided against sitting up as she lay back down. Disoriented as to where she was sleeping, she finally realized she was in Chandler's room. Eyes wide, she looked down, realizing that she was fully clothed and under his blanket, and he was fully clothed and above his blanket. Looking at the time, 4 AM, and then at Chandler's half-open bedroom door, she realized that Rachel had probably assumed both she and Chandler were still gone, but now heard her in Joey's room.

"Hey," she whispered, nudging Chandler, who made a few noises in his sleep and moved towards her. "Chandler," she tried again.

"Mmm."

"Chandler," she whispered again, and his time his eyes flew open wide, realizing it was Monica in bed with him.

"Mon? Why? What the hell happened?"

"I was hoping you could answer that," she laughed. "I don't remember much after jello shots at my apartment."

"I…probably only remember half of the night up until that point," he smiled at her apologetically.

"I think they're looking for us," she continued to whisper. "But, I thought that this," she motioned between them, referring to their fully dressed state, "looks a whole lot less compromising than us walking out of your room together."

Chandler laughed, rubbing his eyes, "God, how much did we drink?" He rolled closer to Monica again, burying his face in the pillow beside her.

"Rach!" Joey yelled from the door. "They're here!" he yelled again, oblivious to the two groans the first shout had elicited. "No, not he, _they_!"

To be continued….

_Please review…they make me smile! And my puppy literally just puked on my flip-flops, and I had to throw them away, and although it sounds amusing…yea, not so much…so, I could use a smile. Anyway, review! Thanks :)_


	2. Chapter 2

Whatever It Is

Chapter 2

**Earlier That Night**

"Is!" Chandler raised another jello shot, pointing to the TV. "She said 'is!'"

"I thought we were drinking on 'it,'" Monica looked at him, confused by the rules of their drinking game.

"Ooh! She said 'it' twice," he drank two shots quickly, handing Monica another one as well. "What the hell is this, by the way?"

"Infomercial?" Monica guessed as the door flew open.

"You guys, what are you doing?" Rachel came in, obviously unhappy. "Joey's about to open his presents. Come on!" she looked at the empty tray of jello shots on the table. "Please tell me he didn't drink all of those, too," she looked at Monica.

"I helped!" Monica held up an empty cup from her seat on the couch, obviously as gone as Chandler.

"Great," Rachel grabbed the remaining tray from the refrigerator, walking out the door. "Well, come on."

"You heard Rachel, let's go," Chandler stood up from the chair, but tripped over the coffee table, ending up on the couch, practically on top of Monica. Both of them burst out in a fit of uncontrollable, alcohol-induced laughter. After a few minutes, Chandler stopped first, wiping tears from his eyes from laughing so hard for so long. Their faces were inches apart, and he was fighting himself not to kiss her again, and, god, did he want to kiss her again. Of all of his kisses from that night, the one with her was the only one that hadn't been a _complete_ drunken blur. Trying to read the look on her face, her hand grasping the bottom of his shirt, he could have sworn she wanted to kiss again, too. "Mon-"

She cut him off, kissing him first this time. He leaned into the kiss, alcohol getting the best of him as his hands started to roam, wincing when she pulled away. He'd gone too far.

"We shouldn't do this here," she whispered breathlessly. "What if Rachel comes back?"

Chandler grinned, glad that that was her concern. "Balcony?" she smacked him lightly. "Worth a shot," he shrugged. "Oh! Oh! I know," he stood up, attempting to pull her with him, but they both stumbled backwards. "C'mon," he wrapped his arm around her, and she leaned in, both steadying each other after their mini alcohol binge.

"Where're we going?"

"You'll see…"

"Really, the storage room?" Monica asked as Chandler opened the door to the storage room.

"Taking a suggestion from Joey?" Chandler said meekly, and then sighed. "We can't go to your apartment or mine."

"This is fine," she smiled, pulling him forward by his shirt, and Monica giggled when he stumbled yet again.

"God, this is like a fantasy," Chandler mumbled out loud, although he had intended it to be said in his head, before kissing her again.

"What is," Monica broke the kiss, "me, or here?"

"Both," he smiled sheepishly, kissing her again, this time more heatedly, pulling her against him. Monica's hands on the bottom of his shirt still, he placed his on her hips, and she pulled at his shirt. Pulling apart just to take it off, he threw it to the floor, moving with her towards a couch in the corner he spotted on their way in.

"I need to feed you more," she pointed out as he sat down, not really noticing before how much weight he had lost recently.

"Shh, you sound like my mom," he pulled her down on his lap.

"When'd you see your mom?"

"Last week," his fingers played on the top of her skirt, hesitantly. "Why are we talking about my mom?" he kissed her again, ending the conversation. He slowly un-tucked her shirt, but stopped suddenly, resting his head on her shoulder.

"You o…k?" Monica asked slowly, leaning back to look at him.

"Yea, it's just," he sighed, pulling her closer again. "I want to do this with you, believe me, I do," he paused. "It's just, if we do _this_…I want to remember it," he finished slowly, slightly embarrassed. "If we do it now…I really don't think I will." He silently cursed himself, wondering why his brain was suddenly impairing the alcohol that had been impairing his judgment all night.

"Me, too," Monica whispered against his neck, settling into his arms. "We should probably get back, though," she finished, not moving to get up.

"Yea," Chandler squeezed her close in a tight hug before letting her go, watching as she stood up and started fixing her clothing. A very Monica-eque thing for her to do, even drunk.

"You coming?" she looked at him, handing him his shirt. He nodded, still silently cursing himself for stopping what could have been his only chance with Monica.

They walked back upstairs in silence, Ross and Rachel's arguing audible after they were in the hallway between their apartments.

"Ross! I can't believe you're being like this! Mark is just helping me get a job, that is it!" came Rachel's slightly muffled yells. Ross was still obviously upset at this Mark person for offering to help her get a job at Bloomingdale's.

"Wanna come in for awhile," Chandler nodded towards his door, and Monica followed, brushing against him as he held open the door for her, making their first physical contact since the hug. He wished he could tell if it was intentional or not.

"Looks like the party's over," Monica finally broke the awkward silence, sitting in one of the guys' chairs.

"The good new is they didn't finish the jello shots," Chandler grinned, pointing to the counter, but Monica shook her head fiercely.

"Definitely done drinking for the night," she patted the chair next to her when he moved to sit in the other chair.

"Me, too," Chandler sighed, sitting down beside her, watching for several minutes as she fought to keep her eyes open. In all the years he had known her, he didn't think he'd ever seen her drink that much. "Hey, you," he placed his hand on the back of her head, and her eyes fluttered open for a moment. "Wanna go to bed," he nodded towards his room. As she raised her eyebrows, he added, "Just to sleep."

Monica nodded, taking his hand as he offered it, following him to his room.

_._._._._._

"Monica? Chandler?"

Rachel's voice cut into Monica's sleep. She sat up slowly, placing a hand on her head, a hangover starting to set in already, but soon decided against sitting up as she lay back down. Disoriented as to where she was sleeping, she finally realized she was in Chandler's room. Eyes wide, she looked down, realizing that she was fully clothed and under his blanket, and he was fully clothed and above his blanket. Looking at the time, 4 AM, and then at Chandler's half-open bedroom door, she realized that Rachel had probably assumed both she and Chandler were still gone, but now heard her in Joey's room.

"Hey," she whispered, nudging Chandler, who made a few noises in his sleep and moved towards her. "Chandler," she tried again.

"Mmm."

"Chandler," she whispered again, and this time his eyes flew open wide, realizing it was Monica in bed with him.

"Mon? Why? What the hell happened?"

"I was hoping you could answer that," she laughed. "I don't remember much after jello shots at my apartment."

"I…probably only remember half of the night up until that point," he smiled at her apologetically.

"I think they're looking for us," she continued to whisper. "But, I thought that this," she motioned between them, referring to their fully dressed state, "looks a whole lot less compromising than us walking out of your room together."

Chandler laughed, rubbing his eyes, "God, how much did we drink?" He rolled closer to Monica again, burying his face in the pillow beside her.

"Rach!" Joey yelled from the door. "They're here!" he yelled again, oblivious to the two groans the first shout had elicited. "No, not he, _they_!"

to be continued…

_Thanks so much for all of the reviews so far! I have to say, I don't like this part as much as the first one (which I, for some reason, loved…not to sound full of myself!) or even the next one, which I have done. But, I felt like it was necessary to show what actually happened between them that night. And…keep in mind, they were both very intoxicated through it all, haha. _

_Anyway, keep up the reviews! School is pretty crazy right now, but if I have enough people wanting me to continue, I can try and find time! And I'm super excited to keep going with this…it's a very fun story to write :)_


	3. Chapter 3

Whatever It Is

Chapter 3

_Ok, so, this story is just too cute not to tell. So, the youngest of the three kids I nanny for, he just turned three, and he was trying to get a snack out of the refrigerator before dinner, and I told him he needed to wait until after dinner for a snack. He says ok. I leave the room for…30 seconds, at the most. Come back. He is sitting on the kitchen floor, one bottle of Bud Light in each hand. I'm like, "Matthew, what are you doing?!" And he just smiles and holds them up and goes, "Here ya go!" Hahaha…ok, so, maybe it's a story I have to tell in person…or, ya know, you have to be there…_

_Thanks for the reviews so far! They are VERY appreciated!_

_._._._._

"Rach!" Joey yelled from the door. "They're here!" he yelled again, oblivious to the two groans the first shout had elicited. "No, not he, _they_!"

"Stop, with the yelling," Chandler mumbled, barely audible since he was still laying face down on the pillow.

"God, what the hell happened to you two?" Joey asked, Rachel now joining him, arms crossed. "How did this happen?" he motioned to the two of them in bed.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Monica sat up slowly.

"Seriously, you guys were gone for a couple hours. What the hell happened after I came over there?" Rachel folded her arms, receiving two bewildered looks in return. "Seriously, Mon, I was worried sick!"

"Sorry," Monica pushed the blanket down, slowly moving to the edge of the bed, moaning at the motion.

"Bye, Mon," Chandler mumbled, still facedown, touching her back as she stood up.

"G'night, guys," Monica whispered. Rachel wrapped her arm around her as they slowly headed towards the front door, deciding answers could wait for the morning.

_._._._._._

"Hey," Chandler walked into Monica's apartment the next afternoon, relieved she was alone. She didn't fail to notice he was still in his clothes from the night before.

"Hey," she replied softly as he sat beside her on the couch.

"I don't think I've drank that much since college," he managed a small laugh, looking up at her.

"What about Ross's bachelor party?"

"Oh yea," he grinned for a second at the memory, before clearing his throat. "So, um, how much do _you_ remember about last night," Chandler asked, unable to decide if he should break or keep her eye contact.

"Some," Monica held the eye contact. "Enough," she continued. "You?"

"Enough," he echoed her response, brushing a few strands of hair from her face. "Think we should, um, talk about it?"

"Chandler-"

"Well, good morning you two lushes," Phoebe walked in the door, cutting her off. "So, where did you two get off to last night," she asked cheerfully, and both groaned at how loudly she was talking. "Still hung over, are we?" she walked over to the refrigerator, grabbing them each a bottle of water.

"Thanks, Phoebs," Chandler took the water, but kept eye contact with Monica. "I should get going, though," he moved to get up, "ya know, join the rest of the world and take a shower some time before it's officially night time."

"Bye, Chandler."

"Bye."

"So," Phoebe asked. "Did he kiss you last night?"

"What?! Why would Chandler kiss me?!" Monica's eyes widened.

"Um, because he kissed everyone in the room last night, Ross, Rachel, and most of Joey's sisters included," Phoebe explained. "I didn't get one, though, and I wondered if I was the only one," she sighed, obviously disappointed.

Monica laughed, realizing what Phoebe had meant by the question. "Oh, yea, yea, I think he did. Not that I remember much more of last night than he does…"

_._._._._._

Chandler walked into the girls' apartment, slightly disappointed when he didn't see Monica, but also slightly confused as to why the door was unlocked if no one was home. "Mon?"

"I'm in here," came the reply from her room.

"Hi," Chandler said, pushing her half open door open a little wider, to reveal Monica doing what looked to be organizing her dresser. "Doin' some organizing?"

"Yep," she grinned, and he laughed, sitting on her bed. "So," she stood up, walking over to him by the bed.

"So…" he echoed, not sure what to say. He had been replaying _that_ night's events all weekend, or what his drunken memory would let him at least, but every time they started to talk about it, they would get interrupted. After a few days of not talking about it, it seemed even more awkward to bring up.

He was also afraid to bring it up, unsure of where they were, exactly. Was it just a drunken hookup? Was it something more? He sure as hell thought there could be something more between them, but was scared to death to bring it up for fear of rejection.

But there was just something…_there_…when he kissed her. Something that even plastered out of his mind he remembered feeling.

When she sat next to him on the bed, he could feel his heart beating, as if at any moment it would all but burst out of his chest. But he didn't know what to ask, what to say. They had both admitted remembering at least parts of _that_ night, but what did that mean?

At Monica's next move, he crumbled. All she did was put her hand on his leg, but he couldn't take it any more. He cupped her face in his hands, kissing her hungrily. After a few seconds, he realized that she was, indeed, kissing back, and that this feeling hadn't been a drunken delusion he had imagined the past weekend.

"Mon," he started, slowly pulling back.

"Guess what?!" they both jumped at the sound of Rachel's voice and the front door slamming.

"Unbelievable," Chandler grumbled.

"What's unbelievable?" Rachel asked, walking into Monica's room.

"Oh, um," Chandler sputtered. "Uh, just how organized she keeps her dresser drawers," he motioned to the open drawers.

"Yea, I know, freaky, right?" Rachel answered. "She does this like twice a week. But anyway, guess what, guess what?"

"Um-"

"Quick, answer before he comes up with a smartass remark!" Monica cut him off.

"Guess who just got a job a Bloomingdale's!" she exclaimed more than asked.

"Rach, that's so amazing!" Monica hugged her.

"Congrat's," Chandler hugged her as well. "Are we all gonna go out for dinner to celebrate?"

"No, actually, Ross is kind of insisting on taking me out, just the two of us," Rachel explained. "He seems really hung up on this whole Mark-getting-me-a-job thing, but," she paused. "We'll get a couple of nice bottles of wine and all celebrate a little once we get home! Well, I need to go get ready, Ross is waiting for me," she left, going to her own room, leaving Monica and Chandler in an, again, awkward silence.

"So," Chandler started again, laughing.

"So," Monica again repeated.

"This is turning out to be a really long game," he laughed. "But seriously-"

"Guess what, guess what?!" Phoebe cut them off this time, running into the apartment and straight over to Monica's room.

"Are you kidding me?" Chandler groaned again in frustration.

"Am I kidding you with what?" Phoebe asked, confused.

"Oh, um," Chandler smirked. "Nothing, just how…organized all of Monica's drawers are," he finished, causing Monica to laugh under her breath.

"Oh, believe, me, I know," Phoebe nodded. "I lived with her for, like, two years," she moved out of the way as Monica and Chandler both got up, going out to the living room.

"Didn't you have something to tell us, Phoebs?" Chandler asked, sitting down on the couch.

"Oh, um," she paused, having forgotten what her news was. "Oh! Guess what I found on the way over here?" she paused, waiting for them to guess. "Fine, don't play along. I found four pennies! All heads-up!" she jumped up, clearly excited. "Do you have any idea what this means?"

"Um, only 96 more heads-up pennies to go and you can buy a bottle of soda from a vending machine?" Chandler asked.

"Oh, you," she giggled. "No! It means that the luck gods have forgiven me!" she continued off of their blank stares. "Ya know, 'find a penny, heads side up, and all day long, you have good luck.'"

"If you say, so, Phoebs," Chandler stood back up, walking to the refrigerator to grab a drink.

"Oh, no, it's not me who says so," Phoebe stated, very seriously. "It's the luck gods."

To be continued…

_._._._._.

_I have been studying/writing papers for psychology for, quite literally, 24 of the past 48 hours. I really need to stop procrastinating so much. Which, ya know, should be easy for me, because I'm taking a class on learning right now, and I know all the ways to shape my own behavior and reinforce myself for not procrastinating…and yet, here I am. Hm. Lots of good this whole college thing is doing! _

_Anyway, that had nothing to do with…anything…other than a reason why the next part might take a little longer. Reviews are very much appreciated, thanks!!_


	4. Chapter 4

Whatever It Is

Chapter 4

_Ok, so, I've only ever written drama (and, by drama, I mean __**drama**__), or else pointless mushy stuff. And mostly drama. Even writing outside of fics. So, this kind of thing is a little new for me. And…why didn't I try it sooner? I've only been writing for fun for the past like…14 years. Ack, I just made myself feel old! But seriously, this is fun :) It's harder, but I'm trying. More emotional stuff just comes easier to me, but I am trying! Not that this isn't emotional…it's just more…light. It's lighter. No deaths or divorce or cheating or crying or anything. _

_Which is another reason I really, really appreciate reviews for this! I mean, I always appreciate them, but it's nice to know I can write something that's not depressing and have it not completely suck!_

_Oh, and from here on out, I (still) don't own any lines I steal/borrow from the show._

_._._._._._

"Hello, children," Chandler greeted everyone as he walked into Monica and Rachel's, receiving waves from Ross, Joey, and Phoebe who were sitting on the couch eating breakfast. "Ooh, pancakes?" he set his briefcase down on the counter, moving closer to Monica, who was cooking.

"Yep!" Joey exclaimed, not turning away from whatever was on the TV. "Monica's in a good mood about somethin'! Pancakes on a weekday!"

Chandler slowly moved closer to Monica, noticing the other three were engrossed in what looked to be a documentary of some sort. "Morning," he said softly, brushing up against her, his hand lingering a moment too long on her lower back.

"Morning," she replied with a grin. "Two or three," she added, a little louder, pointing to the plate.

"Three," he sat down at the table.

"Hey! I didn't get to pick how many I got," Joey turned around in objection.

"Joey, you've already had four," Monica replied, handing Chandler his plate and sitting down next to him with her own.

"Yea, but I wasn't given a choice about it," he walked into the kitchen, plate in hand.

Monica sighed. "How many would you like, Joe?"

"Well, I only wanted four, so I'm good now," he set the plate in the sink. "Thanks for asking, though," he added as he walked back to the living room, Monica throwing a towel at him as he walked by.

_._._._._._

"Hi," Monica handed her video back to the clerk at the video store.

"Six dollars, please."

"Six? I just had it for one night. It's three," she corrected him.

"Eight is the cutoff, and, oh," he held up his watch. "It's 8:02."

"Ya know, in a weird way, you have too much power," Monica dug for the money. "Look, you're gonna have to help me out here, 'cause I only have three," she held up the three one dollar bills.

"I can help with that," Monica froze at the familiar voice behind her.

"Oh my god, Richard?" she turned slowly. "Hi…"

_._._._._._

"So, Rach," Chandler sat down beside her on the couch at Central Perk, coffee in hand. "You've been gone pretty early all week. How's the new job?"

"Oh, my god, I love it!" she exclaimed, looking up from her magazine. "It just feels so good to do something at work I actually care about!"

"Huh," he slumped beside her. "What's that like?"

"Hello!" Phoebe exclaimed, walking in with Monica, who walked over to the counter to order. "Hey, Mon, tell them who you ran into last night."

"Oh, um, no one," she turned around.

"Oh, come on," Phoebe probed her, but she still didn't answer. "Richard! She ran into Richard!"

"Oh my god, Mon, was it horrible?" Rachel asked, setting down her magazine.

"No, it really wasn't as bad as I would've thought," Monica sat at the table, setting her cup down.

"Oh, and tell them how he asked you out again," Phoebe added, and Chandler's head popped up.

"He didn't ask me _out_," she corrected, glancing at Chandler for a moment. "He just asked if I wanted to get together for dinner sometime to catch up."

"I gotta go!" Chandler jumped up. "I just remembered I forgot something at work," he waved, leaving as quickly as possible.

Once in his apartment, he sighed, collapsing in one of the chairs. After nearly a week, he still had yet to actually sit down and talk to Monica. They hadn't even been alone together since their kiss. He was amazed that, with all of the time they had spent alone together in the past, they had yet to manage a second alone within a whole week. It was killing him every time he saw her, and he could have sworn she felt the same. But, if she was going out with Richard, he obviously had mistaken something else for the connection he thought was mutual.

"Hey," Monica said slowly, walking into Chandler's a few moments later.

"So," he stood up, walking toward her. "We can't find any time to be alone and talk all week, but now we suddenly can?"

"Chandler, you're not upset about this, are you?"

"Oh, what, about the Richard thing? The you going out with Richard thing? Why should I have a problem with that," he walked towards the door. "It's not like there's anything here or anything," he motioned between them. "And it's not like I'm your boyfriend," he added coolly as he walked out, slowly closing the door behind him.

to be continued…


	5. Chapter 5

Whatever It Is

Chapter 5

_If you haven't noticed, I'm attempting to follow the timeline of the show… bear with me, haha_

_._._._._._

"Hey," Chandler walked into Monica's apartment, and she nodded from her spot on the couch, not even looking up from her book. "So, I guess whatever this was gonna be, isn't going to be," he scuffed his foot, looking at the ground.

Monica closed her book, turning around on the couch to face him. "Ya know, I came over earlier to tell you that I turned Richard down," she shook her head. He still wouldn't make eye contact. "But, really, I can't do this with you, Chandler," she stood up, moving toward her room. "Come talk to me when you grow up."

_._._._._._

"So," Richard asked, holding up two tomatoes. "When people compliment me on my cooking, what should I say?"

"You say, 'thank you very much,' and then you buy me something pretty," Monica laughed. "Ok, now, put your hands in, and start squishing the tomatoes.

"Ew, this feels weird," he made a face, and Monica laughed again.

"Here, let me help," she placed her hands in the bowl as well, inadvertently grabbing his hand.

"Um, ok, that's my hand," he stopped.

"Oh, um, sorry," Monica pulled her hands back. She turned around, walking to the other side of the kitchen to grab a towel. "Want," she spun around, expecting him to be where she left him, but he was now inches away, "a towel," she finished softly. Towel already in hand, Richard threw his on the table, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her forward. "Wha-what are you doing?" Monica asked meekly, but got her answer when he leaned down, kissing her.

Monica pulled away. "I thought you just wanted me to help you make dinner," she took a step back.

"Come on, Monica, you and I both know that's not why we're here. I'm going crazy here! I can't stop thinking about you."

"Well, I _have_ stopped thinking about you," Monica walked around him, starting to clean up their mess. "And it was long, and hard, and painful, and I really don't feel like going through it again," she placed a few dishes in the sink. "I said I would help you make dinner. That's it," she looked down, not sure why she had returned his call. No, she was sure. She was pissed off at Chandler at the time. That was why.

_Chandler._

"I-I think you should go," she whispered.

"Mon…" Richard took a step towards her again, but she shook her head. "Ok," Richard grabbed his coat from the couch. "Bye, Monica," he added softly, walking out the door, and again out of her life.

Monica stood, glued to the same spot by the sink. Not because of the kiss. Not because of Richard. Not because of the memories, good and painful, that had been brought to the surface by both. But because of the reason she had wanted him gone.

Chandler.

_._._._._._

_Sorry this part was so short, unfunny ,and Richard-filled! I tried to make it longer, but felt the next part didn't quite flow and needed to be its own chapter. It's pretty much done, though. So, review, and I'll try to update super soon! :) _

_Oh, by the way…there were tornado warnings here earlier, and now it's starting to snow? How freaking messed up is that!? Mother nature needs to get her sh** together! ;)_


	6. Chapter 6

Whatever It Is

Chapter 6

_I just realized how many papers I have due next week, so I decided to finish up this chapter and post it while I still have time. Hope this part is a bit more scintillating! (great word, by the way!)_

_You know the drill: lines from the actual show aren't mine, but the property of some brilliant person with much more money than myself! _

_._._._._._

Chandler stood outside Monica's bedroom door. The front door had been open, so he let himself in, and since neither she nor Rachel was anywhere to be seen, he assumed Monica's closed door was where she was. He had been avoiding her lately, but after seeing how torn up Ross was the night before about breaking up with Rachel, he knew what he needed to do.

"Oh my god!" Monica gasped, opening the door before he knocked, and Chandler jumped backwards as well. "Chandler, what the hell are you doing?!" she stood, hands on her hips, obviously angry.

"I, um, I," he looked down at the bowls in his hands. "These are yours," he handed them to her.

"Really? The trading back of the stuff?" Monica sighed, and Chandler's eyes widened. That hadn't been his intention in bringing back her bowls.

"No!" he quickly exclaimed, following her as she walked back into her room. "No," he added again, calmer. "I, well, I was going to bring you some flowers, and then I decided that would be hard to explain if anyone else was here, and we borrowed those from you for Joey's birthday, so I thought I would just bring them back, and somehow in my head it had all seemed to have the same sentiment, and now I really wish I had thought this through," Chandler babbled, and Monica smiled at his uncertainty.

"Chandler…"

"No, let me finish," he paused. "Ok, maybe that's all I had…"

"Chandler, we're fine," Monica took his hands. "Really."

"No, we're not, Mon. We're not fine. And after seeing how torn up Ross was last night over Rachel, I realized," he paused, taking a deep breath. "I realized, I don't want that. I don't want to screw us up and lose you as a friend. I need you, Mon. And I'm so bad at this whole…relationship thing, that I would screw it. Like I already have, and we're not even together yet. We've barely spoken the past couple of weeks, and I hate it. It's killing me. I don't want this awkwardness between us. I don't want to lose you."

"Me neither," Monica agreed quietly, looking down.

"Ok," Chandler smiled. "So, just friends," he held out his hand, trying not to let the fact that he was swallowing his true feelings show.

"Just friends," she shook it, swallowing her feelings as well. He was probably right. "But maybe-"

"Come on, Rach," Ross's voice cut the conversation short as he and Rachel came in the front door.

"I can't talk to you. I can't even look at you!" Rachel yelled in reply, as Chandler slowly closed Monica's door behind him.

"What's going on?" Monica looked at Chandler. "I thought Rachel said everything was ok."

"Oh, um, funny story about last night," Chandler laughed. "And by funny, I mean _not _funny."

"Chandler?"

"Um, you know the hot girl from the copy place?" Monica nodded. "Ross got drunk and had sex with her last night."

"What?!" Monica's eyes widened, and she ran over to the door, leaning against it in an attempt to listen. "Why wasn't that the first thing you told me when you came over!"

"Yes, clearly that was more important," Chandler rolled his eyes, but eventually gave in and joined Monica at the door.

"Just get out!" Rachel's muffled yell came through the door.

"No, no. I want to stay!" Ross's plea followed.

"Ok, alright," Rachel paused. "How was she?"

Chandler pulled back. "We can't listen to this," he pulled at Monica's arm, and she reluctantly followed as he sat down on her bed. Both of them sat in silence, staring awkwardly at the door. "So, do you get really good tips at work thanks to your big, fake boobies?" Chandler broke the silence. Monica shook her head as she stood up, grabbing two magazines. She sat down with one, tossing the other to Chandler.

"_Cosmo_?" he made a face.

"That, or _Better Homes and Gardens_."

"Good choice," he moved next to her, leaning back against a pillow. "At least _Cosmo_ has sex in it."

_._._._._._

"So, finished the quiz," Chandler set down the magazine. "Turns out, I'm a subtle seductress," he finished with a straight face, causing Monica to laugh. "What's yours say?" he nudged her magazine.

"Oh, um," she turned slightly red. "I didn't finish it."

"Come on, Mon. It's just a dumb magazine quiz. What's yours say?" When she didn't share, he took the magazine from her hands. "When it comes to the randy reaction you evoke in a man, you tend to get the guy all warmed up, and then," he paused, seeing why she hadn't wanted to read it, "leave him high and dry," he finished, laughing at the irony of it. Monica grabbed the magazine back, offended. "Oh, come on, Mon, it's kinda funny," he nudged her again, and she just shook her head at him. "Ok, next on the list," he picked up the next magazine, flipping to the quiz in the back, "How Competitive are You," he frowned. "I think this one's for you," he handed it to Monica. She took it from him, hitting him over the head with it. "Yea, should've seen that coming."

_._._._._._

"I can't read anymore _Cosmo_ if I want to leave here with the little masculinity I have still intact," Chandler sighed, moving to the edge of the bed and leaning towards the door. "God, they're still going at it out there."

"They're gonna get through this, aren't they," Monica looked up from the book she was now reading.

"Yea, I mean, it's Ross and Rachel. They have to."

Monica looked at the door. The conversation on the other side was again audible, meaning it had escalated to yelling once more. "What if they don't?"

_._._._._._

"Ok, the game," Chandler and Monica were now sitting on the floor, leaning against her bed. "Kill, do, or marry. One person says three people, and the other one has to say which of the three they would kill, do, or marry."

"Really?" Monica sighed.

"Do you have, like, cards or anything in here?" Monica shook her head. "Then we're playing my game," he grinned. "Ok. Gunther, ugly naked guy, and," he paused, "Joey."

"This game is crazy and juvenile. I'm not playing."

"Ok, so I win by default!"

"NO!" Monica exclaimed, not about to be beaten. "Um, kill ugly naked guy, do Gunther, marry Joey." Chandler burst out laughing. "What?"

"Nothing," he continued to laugh. "I just didn't expect you to actually play along. It's such a crazy, juvenile game," he continued to laugh, and Monica hit his arm.

"Fine, well, you don't get a turn, so I win by default!" she stood up in victory. "Ha!"

_._._._._._

"Talk to me," Monica's voice brought Chandler out of the light sleep he was in. He rolled over to face her, both of them lying on her bed.

"About what?" has asked with a yawn.

"Anything," she paused. "Just…talk to me. Take my mind off of them," she motioned to the door, tired of listening to her brother and best friend fight.

"Hm," Chandler thought for a moment. "You know what my favorite memory of you is?" he asked, and she shook her head. "I think it was my junior year of college. You came to our dorm to see Ross about something, no idea what, but he wasn't there. I was watching some move-"

"_Pretty in Pink_," Monica cut him off with a laugh, knowing exactly which night he was talking about.

"You would remember that," he laughed as well. "Anyway, you decided to wait around for him to get back, and we ended up just talking all night and both fell asleep on my bed."

"And Ross came back from Carol's in the morning and _flipped_ out," Monica laughed. "That was a fun night."

"Yea, definitely when I decided to add you to my list of favorite people," Chandler smiled.

"You have a list?" Monica asked, and he nodded. "Where am I on it now?"

"Pretty high up there."

"Pretty high, like number one? Or pretty high, like top 25?"

Chandler laughed, shaking his head. "I don't have people ranked, just on the list."

"Ok, but, if you _had_ to rank people," she leaned closer to him. "What would my rank be?"

_._._._._._

"It's three in the morning," Monica looked at her alarm clock. "They don't know I've come home," she looked at Chandler. "Neither one of them is worried about where I am."

"God forbid someone be so self involved," Chandler quipped as he stood up, moving over to the door. Monica followed, standing in front of him. "Are they done?" he whispered, but got his answer a second later when Rachel's voice broke the silence.

"No, Ross! You can't just kiss me and make it all go away! It doesn't work that way. It doesn't make it all better, ok?"

"Ok, ok…"

"I think you should go," Monica audibly gasped at Rachel's words, hand flying up to her mouth. Chandler moved closer, pacing his hand on her shoulder. "I really think you should go now," Rachel added, slightly softer.

"Look, there's got to be some way we can work past this," Ross's voice followed, and they could hear the tears in his voice. "I can't imagine, I can't imagine my life without you," Ross continued, and Chandler pulled Monica even closer, hearing her start to cry as well. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, burying his face in her hair.

"No, I can't," Rachel continued, also clearly crying. "You're a totally different person to me now. I used to think of you as someone who would never, ever hurt me. Ever. And now, now, I just can't stop picturing you with her, I can't. It doesn't matter what you say, or what you do, Ross. It's just changed everything. Forever."

Monica leaned into Chandler's embrace, placing a hand on his arm as she felt him trembling. She suddenly realized she had never actually seen Chandler cry.

"Yea, but this can't be it. I mean," they heard Ross trail off.

"Then how come it is?" Rachel ended softer, barely audible through the door. Monica turned to face Chandler, both of their eyes red. She wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. Chandler gladly returned the hug, placing a soft kiss on top of her head, holding her as she continued to cry.

_._._._._._

"Hey," Chandler nudged Monica, who opened her eyes. "They've been quiet for a while now. I think it's safe for me to go."

"Yea, ok," Monica sat up, watching as he grabbed his shoes. She followed as he slowly opened the door, and nodded to a sleeping Rachel on the couch. Chandler nodded back, mouthing 'goodnight,' as Monica moved to cover her with a blanket.

Once outside the door, Chandler leaned against the wall, emotionally exhausted. He turned back towards Monica's door, but hesitated. After a few seconds, he instead opened his own door, not failing to notice that Joey wasn't home. He spun one of the foosball handles in frustration before turning back to the door. He slowly opened it, gasping when he was greeted by Monica on the other side.

"Hi," she whispered meekly.

"Is it ok if we go back to being 'just friends' tomorrow?" he asked, unsuccessfully trying not to let the desperation show in his voice.

"Oh, yea, definitely," she nodded, and a mere second later felt Chandler's lips on her own as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. Chandler managed to kick the door shut behind them, but lost sense of it all when he realized Monica was unbuckling his belt. He let his hands roam under her shirt, fumbling with her bra, all the while not breaking the kiss. She then pulled at his shirt as they moved towards one of the chairs, not about to make it to his bedroom.

_._._._._._

_Well, that was fun :) I have to give _Cosmo_ credit for the quizzes they were taking, though…got those from their website. And the kill, do, marry game was a game often played with my group of friends in high school. _

_Oh, and I have another fic in the works (by in the works, I mean still in my head…). It will definitely be Mondler-cenric, and possibly a __**bit**__ mushy. I…don't know why I'm telling you this, haha. Anyway, please review, and I'll try to continue as soon as I can!_


	7. Chapter 7

Whatever It Is

Chapter 7

_This week was the week from hell. I had three papers and two exams. And the funny thing is, I wrote more, in between all of the studying, because it relaxes me. However, I am now freaking done with all of that, and there's only two weeks left of classes, so it is ALL down hill from here! I am not doing a DAMN thing the rest of today…except writing this of, course! _

_Oh, and I would like to say that Exintaris brought up a point that hadn't even crossed my mind…If you were trapped in a room for that long, your physical needs would have less to do with wanting to jump on each other, and more to do with…nature-calling types of needs, haha. _

_._._.

Monica rolled over, groggily realizing she was not in her own room. This time, however, the room was slightly more familiar, and this time she was not fighting a hangover, but rather a lack of sleep. Chandler made a couple of noises in his sleep, rolling over so that he was closer to her. Monica smiled, softly touching his cheek.

"Mmm…Morning, Mon," he whispered, not even opening his eyes, but reaching out his arm to pull her body against his.

"Morning," she answered, brushing her lips against his. She smiled as his lips curled slightly in a sleepy smile, and he slowly opened his eyes.

"God, what time is it," he groaned slightly.

"8."

"Huh. What time did we get to bed?"

"Get to bed, or get to sleep?" Monica smirked, and Chandler laughed, pulling her on top of him, wanting to feel her skin against his. If this was only for one night, and then it was back to being friends, he sure as hell was going to take full advantage of it.

"Very valid point," he added, touching her cheek and then chin, tilting her face towards his for a kiss.

"Seems like someone's awake," Monica mumbled, shifting her weight slightly.

"More awake than the rest of me…" He kissed her again. The kisses this morning were slow and sweet compared to the hungry kisses from the night before.

"Chandler?" Joey's voice caused both of them to jump. "Chandler?" he was now knocking on the door.

"Shit," Chandler mumbled, hearing Joe's hand on the doorknob. Monica managed to duck under the covers, praying that, clinging to Chandler and under the mess of blankets, she would go unnoticed.

"M-morning, Joe!" Chandler exclaimed, trying to casually rest his arm on the blanket in front of him.

"Dude, I just ran into Ross downstairs while I was grabbing breakfast with Kayla-"

"Woo-hoo, breakfast? Must've been some night…"

"Oh, yea," Joey smirked in return, but then shook his head. "Oh, Ross! I ran into him, and guess what? Him and Rachel broke up last night! They didn't make up! We didn't throw her off the trail! They broke up!" Joey took a step forward, and Chandler visibly tensed. "Dude, what, are you naked under there?'

"Uh, kinda," Chandler moved uncomfortably.

"Ok, well, I'm gonna go shower, and you, take care of that," Joey motioned to Chandler, referring to his nakedness. "Then, we're going to try to figure out where the hell we went wrong with the trail, because I, Joey, never mess up when it comes to the trail!" Joey turned to leave, clearly frustrated, closing the door behind him.

"Do you think he knew I was here?" Monica sat up.

"Nah, it's Joey," Chandler moved to get up, grabbing his robe before handing Monica her clothes. Somehow, instead of strewn about, they were in a neat pile on his dresser. Very Monica. "You should probably get going while he's showering, though," he looked her in the eye, thinking the exact opposite.

"Yea, probably," she agreed with the exact same amount of enthusiasm. "What was Joey talking about? The whole trail thing?" Monica asked as Chandler stuck his head out the door, making sure the coast was clear.

"Oh, um, long story," he walked out, motioning for her to follow. "I'll tell you later."

"Ok," Monica paused at the front door. "See you in a bit then?" Chandler nodded, so she opened the door.

"Mon?" She turned back to face him. "If I had to get stuck in a room for seven hours with anyone, I'm-I'm really glad it was you," he grinned sheepishly.

"I'm really glad it was you, too," Monica smiled in agreement.

"And the rest of the night wasn't bad, either," Chandler added softly, stepping towards her.

"I really do need to go before Joey gets out of the shower," Monica motioned towards the door. "Breakfast?"

"I'll shower, and I'll be right over," he kissed her quickly, hearing the shower turn off. "See ya."

"See ya," she whispered, looking back for a moment before leaving.

"Dude, are you talking to yourself out here?" Joey came out of the bathroom, towel around his waist.

"Oh, um, no, Monica," Chandler fumbled over his words. "She's making breakfast soon."

"Oh, great. I am _starving_," Joey walked towards his room.

"Didn't you say you _just_ went to get breakfast with that girl?"

Joey looked at him, dumbfounded. "What's your point?"

_._._

"Where were you?" Rachel asked as Monica walked through the front door, shoes in hand. Monica visibly jumped, not expecting Rachel to be up yet.

"Oh, um, Chandler and I heard you guys fighting in here last night, so I just spent the night over there," Monica poured herself a cup of coffee, sitting down next to Rachel, obviously distraught. "Are you-are you ok?"

Rachel shook her head, holding back tears. "I just didn't think that Ross and I would end like this, ya know? It was a freaking saga getting us together. After all that, this isn't how Ross and Rachel are supposed to end," she took another drink of her coffee.

"Oh, Rach," Monica stood up, hugging her the best she could while she was still sitting down. "I don't think any of us thought this was how you guys were gonna end."

Rachel stood up. "Well, I got a whole two hours of sleep last night, in between the fighting and the thinking, so I think I'm gonna go back to bed. Now that I know you're home."

"It's going to be ok," Monica offered after her. Rachel nodded in response before closing her bedroom door.

"This doesn't look like breakfast," Joey looked at Chandler as they walked through the door.

"I thought you were gonna shower?" Monica replied, since Chandler was still wearing his robe.

"Yea, well, Joey was hungry," he shrugged, sitting down next to Monica.

"Well, if there's not food here, I have some trail-hunting to do," Joey turned back to the door. "See you guys later."

"Glad to know why he really comes over here," Monica laughed, looking at Chandler, who nodded. They sat there for a moment, staring at each other.

"So, um, I was thinking," Chandler started. "And, when we said that tomorrow we'd go back to being just friends," he paused, "it was 5 in the morning. It was technically today. So," he grinned, taking her hand on the table, "technically speaking, we have, oh, 16 more hours to…ya, know?" Monica smiled, leaning forward to kiss him, but jumped back as Rachel's bedroom door slammed open.

"It's gonna be like my parent's divorce all over again!" she exclaimed. "Only instead of needing two parties for them, once a year, we're gonna need two parties for us, all the time," she slouched down on the couch. "Or else one of us is just gonna get phased out," she threw one of the pillows next to her.

"Rachel, it's going to be ok. No one is getting phased out," Monica came over to where she was sitting.

"Yea," Chandler followed her, sitting on the other side of Rachel. "And, if we do need to have two parties, hey, what's more fun than one party? _Two_ parties!"

Rachel laughed slightly. "Seriously, though. How is this going to work? I don't want to be in the same room as him. So, what, we're just never all hanging out, ever? It's like a shared custody agreement, one of us gets you Monday and Wednesday, and the other Tuesday and Thursday, and we duke it out over the weekends?"

"It's _not_ going to be like that, Rach!" Monica rubbed her shoulder.

"But it is, Monica! It is going to be like that!" Rachel stood back up. "It's just like my parents divorce, and I _just_ started getting used to that."

"Yea, but you _did_ get used to it," Chandler offered. "It just took some time."

"Well, if I've got plenty of time, I'm really going to go take a nap," Rachel headed back towards her room. "Maybe pop a few sleeping pills first this time…"

"Maybe…maybe you should just go shower now," Monica whispered, eyes down, after Rachel was gone.

"What?"

"I don't want that to be us," she motioned towards Rachel's room. "So, maybe you should just go shower right now."

Chandler swallowed the knot in his throat. He was pretty sure his heart _literally_ just sank in his chest. "Yea, ok," he stood up, avoiding eye contact as he quickly moved towards the door. "See ya later, Monica," he added, quietly closing the door behind him.

To be continued…

_._._

_See, I told you I would update eventually :) Please review! Oh, and watch Letterman tonight! I seriously cannot stand that man, but will put up with him for an hour tonight to watch a little Matthew Perry :)_


	8. Chapter 8

Whatever It Is

Chapter 8

_Thanks again for all of the reviews! Still don't own any lines I borrow/steal from the show. Don't sue me over it. You won't get much. Well, you can have my 10-month-old chocolate lab/boxer. He's kinda a pain in the ass though…_

_._._

"Monica," Rachel sighed, taking a bite of her lunch. She was eating at the diner Monica worked at. "Come on, in the past year you've have, what, two dates?"

"Yea, well," Monica grabbed a plate, handing it to the waitress on the other side of the counter. "I'm ok with it."

"How can you be ok with it?"

"Like this," Monica held up her arms in an exaggerated shrug. "I'm ok with it." Rachel shook her head. "Anyway, what about you?"

"Mon," Rachel set her fork down. "Ross and I broke up **two** weeks ago. You and Richard broke up," she looked down, and started counting on her fingers.

"Rach, it's fine. I'm fine," she moved to the other end of the counter. "What can I get for ya today, Pete?"

"Oh, the usual. And a date, if you're handing those out," he smiled at her, and she laughed in return, shaking her head as she turned around to place his order. "No, seriously, this Saturday. Got any plans?"

"Pete," Monica turned back to him. "Haven't we been through this already?"

"Yea, but that was weeks ago," he grinned. "I figure if I bring it up enough, eventually, you'll get tired of saying no."

"Come on. The only reason you want to go out with me is the blonde wig, and the big boobs, and the fact that I serve you food," Monica laughed.

"Well, if that were true, I'd be dating my Aunt Ruth," he smiled, and then looked at Rachel for support. "You think she should go out with me, don't you?"

"Well," Rachel started slowly. "It's been a while, Mon. And I think you could do a lot worse than Pete…"

"Thanks," Pete laughed. "Real supportive."

_._._

"Come on, Mon," Rachel handed Monica a cup of coffee as she set her own down on the coffee table in front of them, and grabbed the magazine Chandler had just finished reading. "Give me one good reason you don't want to go out with this guy."

"Ooh, what guy?" Phoebe asked, looking up from her guitar, Chandler looked up as well, trying not to seem too concerned about it.

"Oh, this customer at the diner who keeps hitting on me," Monica replied nonchalantly.

"Seriously, Mon!" Rachel slapped Monica's knee. "Give Pete a chance! He was cute, funny, seemed pretty smart. And that check thing? Adorable!"

"What check thing?" Chandler asked, still trying to seem casual about it.

"Oh, Pete. You've met Pete when you've had lunch there, right?" Rachel asked, and Chandler nodded. "Anyway, he left a $20,000 tip!"

"His number's on the check," Monica took a drink of coffee. "He only did it so I'd call him."

"Are you…going to call him?" Chandler asked slowly, praying for a 'no.'

"No, probably not," she shook her head, much to the dismay of the other two girls.

"Monica, Monica, Monica," Rachel shook her head, flipping through the magazine she had picked up. "Oh my god!" she jumped up. "Monica, look!" she shoved the magazine in her face.

"Um, Bill Clinton?" Monica looked up at her, in confusion.

"Who's Bill hugging?"

"Oh my god," Monica grabbed the magazine. "That's Pete!"

"You guys don't know who Pete is?" Chandler asked, and the girls shook their heads, Monica not looking up, but continuing to read the article. "He invented Moss 865. Every office in the world uses Moss 865."

"We use Moss 865!" Rachel exclaimed, pulling the magazine back from Monica. "Oh my god, Monica's gonna go out with a millionaire!" she hugged the magazine to her chest.

"I'm not going out with him," Monica again insisted.

"Monica. The guy is a millionaire. He's the next Bill Gates. That is a real $20,000 check. This is just so incredible!"

"Or incredibly offensive. What, is he trying to buy me now?'

"Mon, put it in perspective," Rachel paused. "Millionaire!"

"Ooh! I just thought of a song I could play at your wedding!" Phoebe exclaimed. "_If_ you go out with him," she added. "But only if. It's called 'It All Started with a $20,000 tip.' Ooh, wanna hear it?!" she picked her guitar up. "It all-"

"Let's just drop this, ok?" she put her hand in front of Phoebe's, and she stopped playing.

"Monica, give us one good reason not to go out with the funny, charming millionaire?" Rachel looked at her.

Monica sighed, and Chandler didn't fail to notice that her gaze landed on him momentarily. Though things had pretty much gone back to normal between them in the past two weeks, he was dying on the inside, but decided to respect her wishes and back off. However, he now secretly wanted to suffocate Pete with his very likely silk-covered pillow. Or perhaps choke him with that stupid $20,000 check. He obviously didn't know Monica very well.

"There ya have it," Rachel leaned towards Monica. "There is _no_ good reason _not_ to go out with Pete."

Monica sighed again. She could think of one good reason…

To be continued…

_And, there ya have it :) As soon as I finish this series, I have an idea for a Randler fic. Possbily a series. If I can get it to work out as one. I enjoyed the (very mixed) emotional reaction I got from the last one I wrote, so I'm definitely doing another one. Hopefully I can get it to work as a series. There aren't quite enough Randler series. (DON'T WORRY, I'll still write Mondler, too. Don't wanna freak anyone out here). _

_Anyway, you don't care about that. Please review, and I'll have the next one done as soon as I can! I'm playing "mom" later this week to the kids I babysit for since their mom is out of town, but they go to bed at 8, so…I'm gonna have a lot of free time on my hands._


	9. Chapter 9

Whatever It Is

Chapter 9

_You people sick of me updating yet? ;)_

_Ok, I wasn't really pleased with the way the last chapter turned out, since it skipped over so much time, but had posted it anyway out of frustration (I __**may**__ lack patience, heh). A special thanks to Exintaris for helping me pinpoint exactly what my own frustrations were. So, I hope some of that frustrated-ness is resolved with this chapter. I've revised it a good dozen times, and need to just post it before I drive myself crazy._

_._._

Chandler sat at his desk, playing his own version of the childhood game, "she loves me, she loves me not." Only, instead of plucking the petals of a flower, he was throwing wadded up balls of paper across the room into his trashcan. And instead of "she loves me, she loves me not," he was reciting, "tell her, don't tell," in his head.

The don't tell her's were currently winning.

Frustrated, Chandler picked up the notepad he was tearing paper from, and threw it across the room. It hit the wall with a bang, and slid next to the trashcan. He sighed, looking down at the magazine underneath the pad of paper. It was _that_ damn magazine. He should have let Rachel keep it. Or Monica. Maybe Monica wanted to keep it. Monica wouldn't want it, would she? 'Maybe, since it has her new boyfriend in it,' he thought bitterly, throwing it towards the trashcan as well. No, Pete was not her boyfriend. She had turned Pete down, right?

She had.

Hadn't she?

The whole situation was infuriating. He really wanted nothing more than to go find Monica right at that moment and kiss her and hold her and tell her to just _stop_ thinking for once. The past two weeks had been hell, and he hated it. He hated having to sit there and pretend like he felt nothing for her, like he didn't know what they could be, like he had never seen her naked.

Luckily, the whole Ross-Rachel fiasco had taken the attention off of what could have potentially been a very bad situation for the two of them. Ross and Rachel were vying for their friends' affection, and had started offering up things like hockey tickets and weekend skiing trips. Between the tension over Ross and Rachel and the tension he at least felt between Monica and himself, Chandler had stopped to buy a pack of cigarettes before each of the group outings. On one such occasion, Monica had pulled a cigarette out of his mouth, asking why he would start smoking again. He had replied, in a joking manner, that he was not her boyfriend, so why did she care. The look he gave her was not a joking look, though, in contrast with his tone.

Phoebe caught this, he noticed. However, she hadn't brought up the subject, other than giving him sympathetic glances the rest of that day. After that, he made an effort to act normally towards Monica, who was, for some reason, having no problem at all acting as if nothing had happened between them.

He silently cursed Ross for cheating on Rachel, wondering if that relationship had never gone wrong, if Monica would have still seen dating him as such a bad idea. What the hell was Ross thinking, anyway? You spend 10 years in love with someone, pining over someone, building someone up, and then you finally get them, and you screw it up by being a jealous, possessive moron.

Chandler jumped up, suddenly knowing what he had to do. He was not Ross. Monica was not Rachel. It wasn't the same situation at all.

And Monica wasn't meant to be with Pete. She wasn't meant to be with anyone else. She was _his_ Monica. When kisses like that, sex like that, _feelings_ like that happen, you don't just ignore them. That's what he'd been doing his whole life, and it was getting him nowhere. And this wasn't just anyone; this was Monica. _Monica_.

Chandler practically ran from his office to the Moonlight Diner. He had experienced a sudden growth of some balls, and wanted to get there before they went away. He prayed Rachel wasn't at lunch yet; it was a bit earlier than she usually had lunch. He slowed down as he came to the diner, taking a few deep breaths before walking in the door.

"Hey," Monica smiled when she saw him walk in.

"Hey," he replied, not sitting down.

"You're earlier than you usually are for lunch."

"Yea, well," he took a deep breath, actually out of breath, and didn't fail to notice that Pete was already sitting at the counter. He prayed that Monica hadn't changed her mind about him since the night before. However, his presence was rather motivating to actually go through with this. "I need to talk to you," he walked to the other end of the counter, pulling her out from behind it.

"Are you ok?" she looked at him, noticing he was out of breath.

"Great," he nodded, smiling slightly, still holding onto her hand. She seemed unconvinced. "Look, I know we agreed this wasn't going to happen, but, Mon," he squeezed her hand, looking her in the eye. "I can't do that. I can't pretend there isn't anything between us. Because this," he motioned between them, "whatever it is," he continued, "I want this. I want us. I want you," he smiled, and was relieved when her look of confusion began to soften to a small smile.

"I want-I want to be able to kiss you, and hold you, and _be_ with you. I want to go to sleep with you every night, and wake up with you every morning. I want to introduce you as 'my girlfriend,'" he took a small step closer to her before continuing. "And I know that Ross screwed up him and Rachel, but, Mon, that's not me. They're not us. We wouldn't be like that," he took another deep breath, trying to read the look on her face. "And I know I'm not your type. I'm goofy. I'm immature. I say all the wrong things at all the wrong times. I'm not a doctor, of eyes, or any other body part. I'm not a millionaire," he motioned to Pete. "But, Mon," he grabbed her other hand, "I'm your best friend. And I swear to god, I will always be that," she was now grinning. "And-"

"No, stop there," she placed a hand on his chest. "That was perfect."

"Yea, I kinda sensed I should stop," he touched her cheek affectionately.

"Yes," Monica nodded. "I don't know if there was a question in there, but, yes, if there was one."

Chandler grinned, then pulled her in for a kiss. He laughed, as her fake boobs posed a problem, but eventually, worked around them, completely ignoring the fact that she was at work. A few whistles and some random applause from customers pulled them back to reality. Pete was now gone. There was a more reasonable tip left today, although he hadn't even stayed to eat.

"Go take your break, hon," the other waitress nudged Monica. "I got it for now," she grinned, adding quieter, "Don't let him get away. I think he's a keeper." She winked at Chandler as she moved past the couple.

Monica just smiled, placing her hand in Chandler's as they walked towards the door, not even noticing that Rachel had come into the diner at the beginning of the speech, and had sank into a booth, covering her face with a menu.

Rachel smiled, setting down the menu. She watched them through the window for a moment, noting how natural they seemed together. At first she was beyond shocked, because it was _Chandler_. But, if Ross had said stuff like that to her more often, maybe things would have been better between them. Rachel smiled as the other waitress took her order, shaking her head in thought as she walked away.

So, that was Monica's one good reason not to go out with Pete.

Pretty damn good reason.

__._.__

_Ok, here's the deal. When I started writing this, I intended on ending here. HOWEVER…I could go on from here, and possibly have them do their whole secret-dating thing until everyone else finds out. Which could be fun, and I have a few plot lines thought through, but I don't want to keep going if no one wants me to. _

_So, review (yes, __**you**__, 90% of readers who do not review!), and let me know what you would like to see. Because I like this, and could definitely keep going if people want…Or, I could end it here, which I'd be ok with as well. _

_Pretty much, I'm incapable of making a decision. You people make it for me :)_


End file.
